22 Health Care Services You Get Free With Medicare

Few senior discounts are worth as much as the savings you get through Medicare health insurance.

Medicare is federally subsidized. So, having a Medicare insurance plan typically is cheaper than buying a health insurance plan on your own.

Medicare is not free — there are premiums, deductibles and copays. But it does entitle policyholders to various “freebies.” By our count, there are at least 22.

These freebies are preventive services ranging from annual wellness visits to flu shots and cancer screenings. So, redeeming them will save you money — and possibly protect you from future medical conditions and costs. They could even save your life.

Medicare freebies

Under Original Medicare, the following services are free to all beneficiaries:

“Welcome to Medicare” preventive visit (includes a review of your medical and social history related to your health and education, and counseling about various preventive services)

Vaccination for pneumococcal infections, which include certain types of pneumonia

Under Original Medicare, the following services are free to eligible beneficiaries. Eligibility varies by test but often involves being within a certain age range or having a higher risk for a medical condition.

Vaccination for hepatitis B

Bone density test

Screening for diabetes

Screening for hepatitis C

Screening for HIV

Screening for lung cancer

Screening for colorectal cancer (can include a colonoscopy or other types of tests)

Patients do not owe copays or other out-of-pocket costs for these services. However, before redeeming these freebies, know that they are free:

For folks with what’s known as Original Medicare. Costs might differ for people with Medicare Advantage plans, which are offered by private health insurers.

When obtained from a health care provider who “accepts assignment.” This is jargon that basically means the provider has signed an agreement accepting Medicare’s payment conditions.

When obtained at a certain frequency, which varies. For example, Medicare beneficiaries can get a free flu shot once every flu season but can only get a free screening for heart disease once every five years.

For folks who are eligible for them. Some Medicare freebies are available to all beneficiaries, but most freebies are available to folks in certain situations.

Using Medicare’s websites

Note that you can use Medicare.gov’s “Your Medicare Coverage” search tool to determine whether services or supplies are covered by Medicare and get an idea of what they would cost you — including whether they are free.

Logging into your MyMedicare.gov account will give you access to more personalized information, including a calendar of the free tests and screenings for which you are eligible. You’ll find this in the “My Health” section.

Medicare.gov and MyMedicare.gov are official Medicare websites operated by the federal government. Using these websites is free, as is signing up for an account.

What’s your favorite thing about Medicare? Share your thoughts with us below or over on our Facebook page.

Find the best:

Walmart discounts a selection of items via its Holiday Deals Sale. (Prices are as marked.) Choose in-store pickup to avoid the $5.99 shipping fee, or get free shipping with orders of $35 or more. A couple of best bets:

YouTube offers a selection of HD movies to stream for free (with ads). That's around $3 to $5 less than you'd pay for a rental of these movies elsewhere. Movies include The Terminator (pictured), Legally Blonde, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and Jiro Dreams of Sushi.

YouTube offers a selection of HD movies to stream for free (with ads). That's around $3 to $5 less than ... Read
more.

Updated: 2 weeks 3 days ago

Costco discounts a selection of major household appliances during its Holiday Appliance Sale. (Prices are as marked for Costco members; non-members pay a 5% surcharge. Many discounts are for members only.) Plus, most items receive free shipping; otherwise, shipping starts at $1.99.

Samsung takes up to $1,500 off a selection of QLED TVs and Frame TVs during its Early Access Black Friday ... Read
more.

Updated: November 2, 2018

Starbucks offers a $10 Starbucks eGift Card bundled with a $5 Starbucks Gift Card for $10. (The $5 card appears automatically in-cart after you fill in some personal details; you must check out via Masterpass.) That's a savings of $5. Deal ends December 20.

Walmart discounts a selection of clothing, toys, electronics, and more during its 20 Days of Deals promotion. (The deals change ... Read
more.

Updated: 2 weeks 1 day ago

Costco offers its members the Jetson Bolt Folding Electric Scooter for $299.99 with free shipping. (Non-members pay $15 extra.) That's the lowest price we could find by $100. It features an LED headlight, LCD display, 16mph max speed, and carrying handle.

Joe's New Balance Outlet discounts a selection of New Balance men's and women's shoes to $25 or $30 via coupon ... Read
more.

Updated: 18 hr 8 min ago

Walmart offers the sixth-generation Apple iPad 9.7" 32GB WiFi Tablet in several colors (Space Gray pictured) for $229 with free shipping. That's $20 under our mention from four days ago and the lowest price we've seen for this model. (It's the best deal today by $21.)

Note: Orders placed with free shipping by 2 pm local time on December 20 are expected to arrive in time for Christmas.

Burberry cuts up to 60% off a selection of men's, women's, and kids' apparel, shoes, and accessories. Plus, all items ... Read
more.

Updated: 1 week 1 day ago

Walmart discounts a selection of items with prices starting from 60 cents for it's Last Chance Deals. Choose in-store pickup to dodge the $5.99 shipping fee, or bag free shipping on orders of $35 or more. A couple of best bets:

Gap Factory takes 50% to 75% off almost everything sitewide. Plus, cut an extra 15% off via coupon code "FLURRY". Shipping adds $7, although orders of $50 or more bag free shipping. Some exclusions may apply. Deal ends December 21.

Note: Today (December 19) is the last to place orders of $50 or more with free shipping to guarantee delivery by Christmas. Otherwise, you'll need to pay extra for 2-day shipping or 1-day (and by 12/20 and 12/21 at 3 pm ET respectively).

Panda Express takes 35% off online orders of any Family Feast Meal via coupon code "35YEARS". That's a savings of around $11 for a regular-priced meal, which includes three large entrees and two large sides. (Additional charges apply for premium entrees.) This offer is only valid for online orders. Deal ends December 31.

Ecco takes an extra 40% off all sale shoes and accessories via coupon code "DEC18" during its Year-End Sale. Plus, My Ecco Loyalty members bag free shipping on all orders. (Not a member? It's free to join. Be sure to select "ground shipping" during checkout.) That ties its Black Friday sale as the best extra discount we've seen from Ecco this year. (For further comparison, it only took an extra 30% off during its year-end sale last year.) Some exclusions may apply. Deal ends December 21.

Best Choice Products takes $5 off a selection of items via coupon code "EASY5", with prices starting from $4.99. Plus, all orders bag free shipping. That yields strong prices on a wide range of items. Deal ends December 20. A couple of best bets after coupon:

Burger King offers a Whopper Sandwich for 1 cent when you order via the Burger King app... within 600 feet of a McDonald's location. While this is likely the most blatantly troll-faced offer we'll ever list, it's also probably the best price we'll ever see for a Whopper. The deal is limited to one sandwich per customer. Comment below with a solemn promise to be responsible with this power, and not subject McDonald's employees to even the slight hazing they receive in Burger King's promo video.

Burger King offers a Whopper Sandwich for 1 cent when you order via the Burger King app... within 600 feet ... Read
more.

Updated: 1 week 6 days ago

Best Buy offers free shipping sitewide with no minimum required. (It did the same this time last year.) That's a savings of at least $3 on every order and a rare free shipping offer from Best Buy. Deal ends December 25.

Today, Apple unveiled its new Apple iPad Pro lineup, which includes 11" and 12.9" models. Both feature an edge-to-edge "Liquid Retina" LCD display. The Home Button has been removed, while Face ID support has been added. Apple's propietary Lightning connector has been replaced with the industry standard USB-C. They're powered by the A12X Bionic chip with an 8-core CPU and 7-core GPU.

The base 11" model comes with 64GB of flash storage and costs $799, while the base 12.9" 64GB model goes for $999. 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB versions, as well as 4G-equipped models, are available at an additional cost. (The top-of-the-line iPad Pro 12.9" 1TB WiFi + Cellular model costs $1,899.) These new iPad Pro models can be ordered today and begin shipping next week.

Looking for a deal on these and other iPads? Check out our Apple iPad Black Friday predictions to see what deals you can expect soon.

Klipsch takes up to 50% off a selection of audio equipment as part of its Black and Copper Friday Sale. ... Read
more.

Updated: November 24, 2018

As one of its daily deals, UntilGone offers the 2nd-generation Motorola Moto 360 42mm Smartwatch in Black for $99.99. Coupon code "MOTO5" cuts that to $94.99. With free shipping, that's $305 off and the lowest price we've seen for this model in any condition. Deal ends December 19. Features include:

As a result of a class action settlement, customers who purchased select Premier Protein Ready-To-Drink Protein Shake products may be ... Read
more.

Updated: October 31, 2018

JetBlue Airways via DealBase discounts select JetBlue 1-Way Fares Nationwide with prices starting from $33.17. (On the DealBase landing page, click on "JetBlue" in the top line to see this sale.) That's the lowest price we could find for select routes now by at least $15. This price is valid on flights departing January 8, 2019, from Long Beach, CA, (LGB) with arrival in San Jose, CA, (SJC). Blackout dates apply. Book this travel deal by December 19 for travel from January 8 through March 27, 2019.

All prices, dates, and booking details were valid at the time of publication.

Nordstrom Rack takes up to 80% off a selection of Nike men's, women's, and kids' shoes and apparel. (Many prices drop in-cart; others are as marked.) Shipping starts at $7.95, but orders of $100 or more qualify for free shipping. A couple of best bets: